5th International Roundtable on China-Africa Health Collaboration 26-28 March 2015

Beijing, 26 March 2015 – As part of further strengthening ties between China and the African continent in the health sector, Tsinghua University and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export Medicines and Health Products will host the 5^th International Roundtable on China-Africa Health collaboration. 

The meeting brings together more than 300 participants including Government officials from China and Africa, UN agencies, researchers and academics, development partners and industry at Tsinghua University to see how with more investment, scientific exchange and industry collaboration,  can contribute to strengthening universal health coverage and expanding access to essential medicines across the continent.

As part of our collaboration and support to the Roundtable, UNICEF will host a session on the importance of quality immunization services and vaccine management to end preventable child deaths.  Bringing together global immunization experts from GAVI, WHO, Haier and UNICEF, the session moderated by Global Health Strategies will highlight how immunization can play a critical role in reducing child mortality in the continent.

While child survival has improved in Africa; one in every eleven children born still dies before their fifth birthday, a rate 14 times greater than the average in high-income countries. The continent also currently accounts for more than 50 per cent of the world's child deaths. 

The session will focus on how investments in national immunization programs, along with strong and quality assured immunization supply chain systems and better management, coverage, especially in remote communities, can be improved.

This gathering comes at an important time to contribute to South-South discussions on the health related goals of the Millennium Development Goals and the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals.  It will also provide policy recommendations that will contribute to the 2015 Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled in South Africa later in the year.

The 4^th Roundtable was held in Gaborone, Botswana in May 2013 contributed to the first Beijing Declaration of the Ministerial Forum of China- Africa Health Development, ratified under the Forum on China Africa Cooperation in August 2013.

Children in Africa Brochure (Click the image to save the original version)